The Turkish coastguard yesterday recovered the bodies of women and children washed up on a beach after yet another migrant boat sank while trying to reach Europe, leaving at least 37 dead.

In harrowing scenes reminiscent of the death of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler photographed lying dead on a Turkish beach in September, the body of a small child could be seen among those strewn over a beach near the town of Ayvacik in northwestern Canakkale province, an AFP photographer at the scene said.

According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), picture showed the dead child dressed in dark trousers and a blue top, face covered with a small hat. In another image, a Turkish gendarme is seen lowering the body of an older child into a body bag.

Another young child was also found dead in the water, according to the AFP photographer.

According to international media, a number of other children also drowned after the boat ferrying them and their families- some from Syria, others from Afghanistan and Myanmar, to the nearby Greek island of Lesbos sank just off the Turkish coast.

A Turkish official, contacted by AFP, said the Turkish coastguard recovered 37 bodies including children. The incident comes two days after 25 migrants, including 10 children, drowned off the Greek island of Samos.